Buddha before Buddhism

It can be the first of Buddhas sutras that was written down.
And if it was it may be the one that we most can trust on.

It's a dialog, as the ones Plato wrote.
So he may not have had many listeners.

And it's very radical.

The main theme is to cool down every desire.

Even the one to hold on to a view.

So it's a bit paradoxical...

The sage or wise man, Buddha says, should live in solitude but follow the middle way, so no asceticism.

He should not eat so much and not sleep too much and of course no sex.

(this must be before nuns where permitted)

So he has passed the river to the other shore.

And his reputation will be good (seems to be important for Guatama)

He will be very peaceful, for him there will be no better or worse ethics and so on as he has passed dualistic thinking.

Therefore the half smile.

Let's ponder over what that will mean in our days. What could we gain if more of us behaved in that way?

Nowadays it a lot hate on the internet. Since Buddha would hold no opinions he would probably  be sheltered from that. If he would use the internet... He may have - to show his lifestyle....

He would ha no children, except the on from his marriage. Anyway he wouldn't make the overpopulation worse.

He wouldn't accept food from animals that was killed for his sake, so he would create less suffering.

He wouldn't make machines that is made for killing(as they where made up by the scientists desires).

If he were not chased by desires, thoughts about food, women, houses, cars, flights to "better" places and so on, he would probably be quite satisfied and that would influence other people with his gladness. He would accept everyone to come to him.
But he shouldn't argue with anyone - but he would need a lot of mental space around him.

He would probably like tress, so he would not cut them down.

He would not own expensive possessions to worry about.

He would see the core of the desires; evolution as he now would know Darwin.

He would not teach about metaphysical things as karma, rebirth and so on.
That is not important; you have to start  your journey now, because a lifetime is so short he says in
Atthakavagga, as the sutras are called. Here you can download them:

http://www.holybooks.com/atthakavagga/

And here is video with a meditation teacher  who has written a book about this early Sutras.

I have stolen the heading of this text from him, thank you; Gil Fronsdal.













Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cora Diamond on eating animals - with the help of Wittgenstein´s ideas

Image
Cora Diamond is a new name for me, even if she has worked as a professor in Philosophy in the states for a long time and is still  teaching at the university of Virginia, even she is over 80 years old. She has written a lot about Wittgenstein and that has helped her to express her view of the topic. Although she, like Wittgenstein,  has lived in a hut in Norway - and actually brought Tractatus with hes - she seems to be different and for sure more glad than W. Anyways, its W: s writings that interests her and especially his critics of metaphysics and ethics in philosophy. As it is said in Tractacus  : " Whereof one  cannot speak , thereof one must be silent." And of ethics philosophy should not speak - why? Is it like in Buddhism - its better to sit in silence and let know yourself, than to speculate about what will happen when we die? But for sure there ethical guidelines in Buddhism,  but the behaviors is often named skilful, not good (or bad). Another
Read more

I think, therefore I am NOT

Image
So Descartes was wrong. He said that he could doubt everything about himself except that he was thinking. That proved that he existed. The word "I" is the central point here. What does it mean? Perhaps we are sure that we know the answer. Is it the thoughts? In that case - where are you when you aren't thinking? Is it your job, your title? In that case - what happens if you loose your job or change job? Is it your house, your nation? Under my course to be a mindfulness instructor, the teacher, Ola Schenström, made us ask to each other; "Who are you?" After each answer the question was repeated by the questioner.We soon discovered that there were no end to the answers - or maybe an adequate end could be; "I don't know."Or maybe; "It seems I have no essence." Other thinkers have come to the same conclusions; Buddha, Sartre and more recently Damasio and Parfit. Sartre, for instance, has said that we are the sum of our actions. We ha
Read more

Wittgenstein and Buddha -buddies?

Image
Ludwig Wittgenstein, the famous philosopher, reflected in the posthumously published  book "Philosophical Investigations" about the picture above; Is it a hare or duck?  He meant that we make, or must make, a statement what it is. And I suppose he meant that we often or always has to interpret the world around us. But two different interpretations can both be right! Language and thoughts controls what we see.....   You can compare with the picture of a glass. Half empty or half empty?  Who decides? Yes, it's you... And whatever you say is right.  But you can be aware of what you think. That can say more of yourself than of the glass....  You can be aware of that you always do interpretations of things that happens.  If you have a pessimistic or a naive point of view, you can be aware of the view and your statements.  Buddha and Wittgenstein were both aware of that different persons uses different perspectives.  But Buddha spoke about the "right 
Read more